Sacroiliitis - Condition, symptoms and treatment
Sacroiliitis is the name given to the inflammation of the sacroiliac joints, the places where the spinal column meets the pelvis. A common feature of many spinal diseases, it is associated with pain in the lower back or buttocks that can also extend down one or both legs. It can often be difficult to properly diagnose, due to the fact it can be mistaken for back pain. There can be a number of sacroiliitis symptoms and causes, including pregnancy, inflammatory arthritis, infection or traumatic injury. It is most commonly found in relation to a group of spinal diseases called spondyloarthropathy, which include very serious conditions such as ankylosing spondylitis (arthritis of the spine), which causes breathing difficulty, deformities of the spine, and heart problems. The symptoms mainly consist of pain the lower back and buttocks area, and are often aggravated by daily actions such as running, climbing stairs, and prolonged standing bearing an uneven amount of weight on the legs. Sacroiliitis treatments largely depend of the severity of the condition in the sufferer. The chronic pain can be treated by short periods of rest which lessen the pain on the joints. In addition, applying heat or ice to the area also provides relief. Sleeping in the right position is also recommended by experts, as sleeping on the side can relieve the sufferer’s pain greatly. However, these are short term treatments that alleviate the pain for short periods of time. More robust sacroiliitis treatments are available. These include cyclobenzaprene which can act as a muscle relaxant relaxing muscles which often spasm as a result of sacroiliitis. In order to relieve the sacroiliitis symptoms associated with ankylosing spondylitis, Tumour necrosis factor (TNF) Inhibitors are sometimes prescribed. An alternative to sacroiliitis treatments that use physical therapy and drugs is the use of surgery and injections on the joint itself. These are usually used in cases where the sacroiliitis pain is particularly severe. Injections are usually corticosteroids that are injected directly into the inflamed joint area. This will reduce pain, but due to the strength of the steroids can only be used sparingly, with only 3-4 treatments accompanied by physical therapy allowed during one year. There are also more drastic treatments to deal with the pain including radiofrequency denervation which targets and destroys the nerve tissue causing the pain, and a joint fusing procedure which fuses the bones at the sacroiliac joint in order to reduce pain that is otherwise unresponsive to surgery. Sacroiliitis can be a life altering condition due to the amount of pain it causes sufferers if left unchecked. The sooner it is identified and physical therapy treatments are prescribed to the sufferer, the less likely it is for them to need the more advanced and invasive sacroiliitis treatments that are used to alleviate severe pain. If suffering from a prolonged period of lower back pain, then it is advisable to see a doctor at the earliest opportunity.